


What You'll Sorely Miss

by A_Storm_of_Roses



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29307297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Storm_of_Roses/pseuds/A_Storm_of_Roses
Summary: The team watches Harry Potter. John wonders how all the bad guys seemed to know before he did.
Relationships: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Comments: 11
Kudos: 58





	What You'll Sorely Miss

None of the team particularly liked the  _ Harry Potter _ series. 

That first year, cut off from Earth, John had plundered the digital library for any books he could read that would take his mind off of space vampires and increasingly dire food rations. He read the first 6  _ Harry Potter  _ books in a fit of desperation 8 months in. They had been an enjoyable enough read - a fluffy break when he couldn’t face another 5 pages of  _ War and Peace _ . But when the 7th book came out, two years after they had reestablished contact with Earth, John just couldn’t be bothered. He had enough  _ man who lived  _ angst of his own to work through.

Rodney, unsurprisingly, found them juvenile and utterly unrealistic. Magic completely defied the laws of physics, and don’t even get him started on the continuity issues caused by time turners. But when John pointed out that he didn’t think Gandalf had a better grasp on the concept of conservation of energy than Dumbledore did, Rodney went off on a 45 minute rant about world building and conlangs and Anglo-Saxon mythology. He made them watch the extended editions of Lord of the Rings for the next three team movie nights, and John never mentioned Tolkien again. 

In her third year in Atlantis, Teyla caved and read all 7 books. She was tired of missed references and shocked faces when the new recruits invariably realized that she did not understand the significance of a horcrux. Always respectful of other cultures, Teyla did her best to approach the books with an open mind. She still didn’t see what the big deal was, but at least she could smile placidly now, and confirm that yes, she was indeed a Gryffindor. 

It was Ronon’s fault that they were sprawled in Sheppard’s quarters, watching  _ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire _ for their latest movie night. Defying all stereotypes, Amelia was a massive Harry Potter nerd, and Ronon was convinced that surprising her with an understanding of the difference between a basilisk and a Slytherin (“They’re both snakes, right? Like a Goa’uld?”) was the ultimate romantic gesture. 

Amelia had recently memorized a collection of old Satedan poetry for Ronon’s birthday, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Ronon treated his relationship as competitively as every other area of his life. He was determined to prove he could be just as thoughtful and cultured. John refrained from pointing out that  _ Harry Potter _ wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of Earth culture, although the way most of the soft scientists went on, he could see how Ronon would have gotten that impression.

Ronon had fallen asleep during the second movie and twitched the whole way through the third. John hadn’t fared much better. But damn it, they were a  _ team _ , and the team faced challenges together.

And so, John, Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon found themselves bored out of their minds, as they watched Harry morph into some sort of creature from the magic lagoon.

“So what, this school just let a bunch of their students get captured by scary mermaids? Shouldn’t a magic school have better security systems in place?” Rodney groused.

“I believe the egg said ‘What you’ll sorely miss.’ It is a test of faith and devotion, is it not? In order to win the challenge they must rescue those that they love most, so I imagine these particular students were taken by the organizers with purpose,” Teyla supplied.

“Who do you think they’d take if you had to do the challenge?” Ronon asked. “I guess it would be Amelia for me. Or one of you.”

Teyla took only a beat before responding, “Torren or Kanaan, for me. What about you, Rodney?” 

“Jeannie. Or Madison.” Rodney looked almost surprised at how quickly the words had tumbled out of his mouth. Only a couple months ago, the question would have triggered a spiral of doubt and regret over his breakup with Jennifer, but now he seemed almost unbothered by the thought of being single.

“And you John?” Teyla nodded encouragingly.

John ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know. I guess it would have to be you guys. The team.”

“It would be McKay.” Ronon supplied.

“Yes,” John ground out, “or you or Teyla. Like I said, the team.”

“Nah, it would definitely be McKay.” Ronon was grinning now. “It’s always McKay. Whenever we’re off world and someone’s trying to force you to do something. They never threaten you. Or me or Teyla. It’s always McKay.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” John sounded genuinely confused. Ronon simply shrugged.

“When Ford took us, he kept McKay back as collateral. And the second time we met that creep Lucien - Kolya threatened to shoot him first. Even that Hive Queen who was making all the super soldiers threatened to feed on McKay when you wouldn’t give in.”

“I seem to recall that Kolya also used Rodney against you when he attempted to take Atlantis.” Teyla was smiling.

“And Elizabeth!” John added. Rodney was being strangely silent throughout the whole ordeal, watching John intently. 

“I read that report,” Ronon added. “He let you think Elizabeth was dead, but McKay was still alive and in trouble. Face it, it’s McKay.”

John didn’t respond, just crossed his arms and turned his attention back to the film. The silence awkwardly dragged on.

“Oh come on - there’s no way there’s enough oxygen in that bubble for them to survive underwater for more than a few minutes!” Rodney’s complaint broke through the quiet.

“It’s magic, McKay, maybe it can filter the water to get more oxygen.”

“Oh please, and how exactly is that supposed to work, Colonel Dumbledore?”

John threw a piece of popcorn at Rodney, Ronon barked a laugh and Teyla smiled. The rest of the film carried on, and if they talked more than they watched, well Ronon could always read the CliffsNotes later.

\---

Rodney stuck around after the film was through, helping John clean up, before the two of them settled in to watch a few old episodes of  _ Flash Gordon _ . He stuck around after most team movie nights these days - John found he didn’t mind. Teyla had her family and Ronon had Amelia. For a while, Rodney had had Jennifer, and John had had a lot of time to run and golf and read. John had made all the appropriate consoling noises when they had broken up, but secretly he was happy to not be an 8th wheel anymore. He liked having someone to hang out with.

Flash was busy shooting at some Hawkmen, when out of the blue Rodney said, “It would be you too. For me, I mean. Jeannie and Madison and you.”

John stilled.

“You sure about that, buddy?” He couldn’t quite bring himself to look at Rodney, but he could see him nodding out of the corner of his eyes.

“Pretty sure. Evidence would suggest yes. I mean we know there’s a timeline out there where I spent the rest of my life trying to bring you back from the future. No Nobel, no family, just a job teaching Physics at a local college and presumably some cats. If I was willing to do that, then I think we can safely assume, I’d be willing to rescue you from some evil mermaids.” John turned to look at Rodney, only it was Rodney’s turn to avoid eye contact. His eyes were focused on the screen, but John was sure he wasn’t really watching.

It wasn’t as though the thought hadn’t occurred to him before. Alternate timeline Rodney had made a huge sacrifice to bring John back, but John had tried not to think too deeply about it. It hadn’t been just about him - it had been about Teyla and Ronon and Sam and Jennifer. It had been about the fate of Atlantis and the Pegasus galaxy. Of course, John was an expert in not thinking too deeply about things - he had spent years not thinking about the fact that all of the baddies in the Pegasus Galaxy seemed to know before he did.

“Trying to rescue me the, uh, way a friend rescues another friend?” 

“Something like that,” Rodney muttered. Only his hand was on John’s thigh, and he was leaning over, his eyes tracking to John’s lips, before raising his gaze to meet John’s own. Unconsciously, John licked his lips.

“I am not a damsel in distress,” Rodney declared. His face was inches from John’s and John could feel the warm puff of Rodney’s breath on his face. It smelled of popcorn and coffee and Rodney, and he felt like it should have been off-putting, but mostly it was familiar and reminded him of home.

“Never said you were,” John replied. He leaned up and brushed his lips against Rodney’s, the lightest touch. Rodney stared back at him for a beat, blue eyes wide with wonder, before dipping his head and kissing John back, firmly and slowly. Rodney brushed his hand against John’s cheek, hesitantly. 

“I can’t believe the Wraith knew before we did. I mean I know I’m terrible with relationships, and you’re the most emotionally constipated person I have ever met, but seriously. The Wraith! Do they even understand the concept of love?” Rodney froze as the words left his lips.

“Oh! Not that I’m saying I love you or anything… but I’m also not saying I don’t, because of course I do, and I think I have for a very long time. Only I thought it was just the way friends feel, although that’s clearly not the case, because there’s a lot I’d do for Ronon or Teyla or Carson or even Zelenka, but I probably wouldn’t teach at a Community College for them and I definitely don’t want to kiss any of them either. But, uh, I definitely want to kiss you again. So.” Rodney’s voice petered off and John found himself grinning a smile so wide it threatened to tear his face in two.

“Same.”

“Same? That’s all you have to say for yourself? I pour my heart out, and I get ‘same’?”

“Yes, Rodney. Same. I’d sorely miss you too.” And with that John kissed him again, wondering how he could have missed this for so long.

**Author's Note:**

> In the year of our lord, 2021, I have gotten back into SGA and written my very first fic for it. It's never too late, eh?
> 
> I'm writing for my own amusement and am very rusty, so feedback is always appreciated.


End file.
